EAU CLAIRE, WI (September 4, 2020)—Retired pastor and Army chaplain Noel V. Cisneros died Wednesday, September 2. He was 66.
Noel was born May 3, 1954, in Edinburg, Texas, to José and Maria Cisneros. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served for three years on active duty. While home on leave in the summer of 1974, he met his future wife, Debbie, who was serving as a short-term missionary at the La Villa Covenant Church. They were married July 9, 1976.
Noel graduated from North Park College in Chicago, followed by North Park Theological Seminary in 1986. He was ordained in 1988.
He served as pastor of Palmyra Covenant Church in Hector, Minnesota; Herndon Covenant Church in Herndon, Kansas; New Hope Covenant Church in Yakima, Washington; People’s Covenant Church in San Juan, Texas; and Prairie Lake Covenant Church in Chetek, Wisconsin. He retired in 2018.
In 1989, Noel made the decision to return to military service as a chaplain in the Army Reserves for a total of 27 years, eventually achieving the rank of Major. He saw active duty in Kuwait in 2003 as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and retired from military service in 2014.
Noel is survived by Debbie, his wife of 44 years; three children Christian (Betzy) of Chicago; Peter (Tricia) of Burlington, Washington; and Matthew (Marisol) of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; nine grandchildren; his mother, Maria Consuelo Velasquez Cisneros, and eight siblings, sisters Irene Perez, Nellie Vargas, and Cynthia Gagnon; brothers Noe, Javier, José Jr., Jesus, and Rumaldo. He was preceded in death by his father, José Guadalupe Cisneros, his brother Jaime, and his sister Dora Valdez.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, at Hulke Family Funeral Home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Visitation is prior to the service, from 9:00 to 10:00.
Peace be to his memory.
